Beaumont Basilica has a relic that belonged to future saint

Brooke Cru, Beaumont Enterprise

By Brooke Crum

Published 5:00 am, Saturday, July 6, 2013

In this Jan. 22, 1998 file photo, Pope John Paul II holds his first Mass in Cuba. Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthood, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession. Francis also decided Friday, July 5, 2013, to canonize another beloved pope, John XXIII, even though there has been no second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Francis approved a decision by cardinals and bishops. The ceremonies are expected before the end of the year. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis,
Photo: AP, STF

In this file photo taken on April 15 1963, Pope John XXIII is wearing his "Camauro", a red velvet cap, in his private library at the Vatican. Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthood, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession. Francis also decided Friday, July 5, 2013, to canonize another beloved pope, John XXIII, even though there has been no second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Francis approved a decision by cardinals and bishops. The ceremonies are expected before the end of the year. (AP-Photo/Luigi Felici)
Photo: AP, HO

The Vatican announced Friday that Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII would be declared saints.

John Paul II's secretary gave St. Anthony the late pope's zucchetto in December 2004 before the cathedral became a basilica, said Monsignor Jerry McGrath.

"It was a wonderful gesture of the centennial of St. Anthony's," he said.

John Paul II has been remembered as a world-traveling pope who led the Catholic Church for almost 27 years. From Poland, he was elected in 1978 as the first non-Italian pope in 450 years. John XXIII introduced the Second Vatican Council, which issued widespread reforms to modernize the church, during his reign from 1958 to 1963.

Pope Francis, who became the leader of the Catholic Church earlier this year, recently approved a second miracle attributed to John Paul II that made his journey to sainthood the fastest in modern times. Francis also waived the traditional requirement that saints must have performed two verified miracles in the case of Pope John XXIII.

Bishop Curtis Guillory said Pope Francis dismissed that requirement of John XXIII because there was "enough evidence of his holiness."

The values each man demonstrated throughout their time as pope are the reason for their canonization, Guillory said.